Conservation projects gaining steam at county office

The Rock County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors more than tripled its annual number of cost-share agreements in a matter of minutes on Monday.
Generally the five-member group approves six agreements per year to install a variety of conservation practices that protect and improve water quality by controlling soil erosion and reducing sedimentation on an annual basis.
Monday’s special meeting was scheduled to keep the projects moving forward.
The larger-than-normal number of projects is due to a two-year flood relief package Rock County received last year.
The monies will be used to repair cropland damaged by the heavy rains and flooding in 2014. Rock County was one of 17 Minnesota counties to receive relief funds through the state’s Disaster Recovery Assistance Program.
Monday’s 19 approved projects join 13 others that received the go-ahead from the board to repair grass waterways, stream banks, terraces and basins.
The grant paid 90 to 100 percent of the projects’ estimated costs.
Phase 1 of the grant allotted $165,000 to the county with $1.068 million in the second phase. Grant dollars from a possible third phase have not yet been released.
Repair estimates range from $3,680 for stream bank repairs to $91,151 to repair a grass waterway.
Rock County currently has about $378,000 in unallocated flood relief dollars with more than 100 pending applications.
County officials estimate Rock County suffered $4.8 million in agricultural flood damage in 2014.